Commercial and business interruption claims

Commercial claims add a second loss on top of the property damage: the income the business didn't earn while closed. Business interruption coverage, if your policy includes it, pays that lost income — but only what the books can prove.

Assemble financials immediately

Profit-and-loss statements, tax returns, payroll records, and a period-of-restoration calculation are what the carrier will contest. Start assembling financials the week of the loss, not when the carrier asks. The gap between your documented loss and the carrier's estimate is where the dispute lives.

Policy sections matter more in commercial

Scope disputes scale with the property: code-upgrade coverage, tenant improvements, equipment, and spoilage each live in different policy sections with different limits. Identify which sections of your policy apply to each category of loss before accepting a single number for everything.

Fee caps still apply

Commercial losses are where public adjusters are most common, but fee caps still apply in capped states. In Florida, the cap is 20% (10% under a declared emergency). In Texas, 10%. In Georgia, 33.3%. Check the fee calculator and understand whether the fee applies to the whole settlement or only to new money above the carrier's initial offer — that contract line decides thousands of dollars.

What the registry can tell you

Search for adjusters who list commercial claims in your state. The registry shows each adjuster's license number, status, and the regulator's record date. Use the settlement gap calculator to see whether the gap between the carrier's number and your estimate justifies a percentage fee.

Sources

• FL fee cap: Fla. Stat. §626.854(11) — verified
• TX fee cap: 10%, states.json — verified
• GA fee cap: 33.3%, O.C.G.A. §33-23-43.3 — verified

Related

• Fire and smoke claims: the inventory is the claim
• Flood claims: a different policy, different rules
• Hail claims: the invisible-damage dispute